Coin-controlled vending device.



W. E. GATLING.

"GOIN CONTROLLED VENDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11, 1912.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W. E. GATLING.

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11, 1912.

1,083,608, Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ykM' S JQZQQEW ili'gfi.

"a, citizen of UNITED PATENT OFFICE.

WmmA-M E. GA'ILING, or 1\ mw maven, commence-.1 Assmmn, BY MEBM: Assn-N- meme, 1%) W-iLLIAM F. LAN DY,

em NEW HAVEN, comNEccbIcU'r.

Be it Imewh that I, W mm E. Ghmm, the United S'tdt'es, residing at Haven, in the cuhty of New Haven 'bfrfd "S'tate Oi Connecticut, have inventefl a;

the haftTsupporti-ng bracket l'empved, and

e View? d i Fig. 4 a mew Speei'flcation of Letters Patent. I ipiilibafioh fi'ae a member 11-, M2. serm 930574;.

Patenfied'Janfi, 1914.

"remdvzibly cdrfnedti'ng -he ease-need 3 with from 'heydniithe btiter and inner faces th'er'e'df. The 'iiinefitiiirtiioh o'f the eaid fibaft 16 has bearing in & fileve 32 s11 ported at its "extrerhe i'fihe'i' end in h 'eir u a 'r b wring-qpenin 20 ih fihv'e ldwer-enfl'df a 'removsible platelike bracket 21 the 'iipper e118 v'ffwljich 5's furnished 'withsuspeneion fi gers 22 passing which the said shaft is held against longitudinal displacement.

The knob 2 is turned back after its manual operation, by means of a spiral spring 24 located within it and coiled upon the outer face of its centrally arranged hub 13, the outer end of the spring being secured to an integral loop 25 produced by cutting and striking up a portion of the knob, while the inner end of the spring is attached to a corresponding integral loop 26 formed in the front of the case-body 3. ,When the knob is manually turned from right toleft, it places the spring 24 under sufficient tension to automatically turn the knob back from left to right into its normal position after the hand of the user lets go of it.

Upon the square shoulder 15 of the shaft 16, I mount a driven disk 27 having a square opening 28, whereby the said disk, shaft and knob are caused, when assembled, to turn in either direction with each other as one iece. The said disk is located close to the inner face of the front of the case-body, but held .from engagement therewith by its own engagement with the inner edge of the bearingsleeve 14 which establishes a clearancespace 29 between the case-body and the forward face of the disk 27 In the same manner, the inner edge of the knob 2 is held just enough away from the case-body 3 to clear the same by the engagement of the inner face of the closed inner end of the hub 13 with the outer edge of the said bearingsleeve 14. The said disk 27 is temporarily coupled through the medium of a penny 30 with a complementary driven disk 31 turning loosely upon a sleeve 32 encircling the shaft 16. The forward end of the sleeve 32 bears against the rear face of the driving disk 27 while its rear end passing through the suspension bracket 21 bears against the set-nut 22. The said driving-disk 27 and the driven-disk 31 are separated bv a vertical coin-receiving space 33 which registers with a coin-slot 34 in the top of the casebody 3 and also with a coin-slot 35 in a segmental coinguide 36 located directly above the disks 27 and 31 and conforming 'to the curvature thereof. The said coin-re ceiving space 33 is created and maintained by four coin-operated coupling-pins 37 arranged quartering with respect to each other and projecting forwardfrom the forward face of the driven-disk 31 into a shallow annular groove 38 in the rear face of the driving-disk 27. To limit the rotation of the driven-disk 27, it is formed with a segmental slot 39 receiving a st0p-pin 40 riveted in the case-body 3 and projecting rearward into .the slot 39 as clearly shown in Fig.4.

When a penny-3O is inserted into the slot 34, it passes downward through the slot 35 and enters the upper portion of the coinreceiving space 33 into which it descends until it is arrested by its engagement withthe sleeve 32 on the shaft 16, as shown in Fig. 8. The penny is now interposed between the uppermost of the coupling-pins 37 and the upper edge of a driving lug 42 located upon the rear face of the driving-disk 27 and projecting into the coin-receiving space 33. In the normal positions of the parts, the lug 42 will occupy a position lower down than it is shown to occupy in Fig. 8 so as to provide ample clearance for the entrance of the penny. The penny having been entered into the space 33, the knob 2 is turned from right to left, whereby the upper end of the lug 42 is first brought into engagement with the edge of the penny, which is then pushed by the said lug until its opposite edge 1s brought into engagement with the uppermost pin 37 in the disk 31, as shown in Fig. 8. The turni in; of the knob 2 being continued, the driven disk 27 will now operate,through the medium of the penny 30 to rotate the drivendisk 01 a quarter turn from right to left. The two disks are at this time coupled, as it were, by the penny interposed as described between the uppermost pin 37 on the drivendisk-31 and the lug 42 on the driving-disk 27. The quarter rotation of the driven'disk 31 through the mediumof the penny is utilized for the actuation of a horizontally movable.

tablet-delivery slide 43 located in the upper end of the case-body 3. For the actuation of the said slide 43, the driven-disk 31 is-provided upon its Outer face with four forwardly projecting slide-driving pins 44 arranged quartering with respect to each other, and co-acting. with a vertical. operatingshoulder 45 upon the slide 43 which at its delivery end has a ta let-delivery arm 46 turned inwardat a right angle to the plane of the slide in position to engage with the adjacent ends of the respective tablets 12 as they are successively fed upward 1n front of it as will be described later on. The delivery end of the slide 43 is also formed with a stop'finger 48 arranged to extend horizontally over the uppermost tablet 12 of the 'column and thus prevent the successive taboperating-slot 50 turned downward at its left hand end and receiving an operatingpin 51 mounted near the right or butt end of the shank 52 of a gate 53 employed to normally close a tablet-eject-ion-opemng 54 in the left hand side wall of the case-body 3 near the upper end thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The said shank 52 of the gate 53 is pivoted upon a stud 55 mounted in the front of the case-body'3 close to the top thereof. At its right hand end the slide 43 is provided with a horizontal leaf-like slotclosure 56 for blocking the coin-slot 34 so as to prevent the introduction of any coins into the device after the same has delivered its last tablet. The said slide 43 is positively carried through its tablet-delivering excursion by means of the knob 2 as described.

During this movement from right to left,

the operating-pin 44 engages with the shoulder 45 and rides downward over the same. Then just as the throw of the slide is completed, the pin 44 passes over the corners 57 of the shoulder 45, whereby the slide is released to the action of a retracting-spring 58 coiled upon a spacing-sleeve 5-9 encircling the sleeve '32 aforesaid and interposed be tween the depending bracket 22 and the driven-disk 31 as shown in Fig. 4. This cal partition 63 located therein and formed at its upper end with a horizontal bearingflange 64 on which thelower edge of the slide 43 rides. The tablets 12 are fed upward in the channel 62 by means of a follower or elevator 65 having depending guidefianges 66 and 67 at its ends and provided with depending ears '68 in which is pivoted a latch 69 the npturned'hoohed nose 70 of which is free to rise through a slot 71 in the left hand end of the elevator 65 which-is raised in the channel 62 by means of two elevator-arms 72 and 73 the adjacent ends of which are pivotally connected by a pivot 74 encircled by the elevator-spring 49 aforesaid, the ends of the said spring being respectively hooked over the adjacent ends of the arms 72 and 73.

At its upper end, the elevator arm 72 is pivotally connected with the latch 69, while the lower end of the arm 73 is pivotally connected with a loop 75 struck inward from the bottom of-the case-body 3 as shown in Fig. 2.

The tablets 47 are confined in the channel 62 by means of a retaining-plate 7 6 hinged at its lower end to the bottom of the case-body '3 and bent forward at its upper-end at a right angle to form a stop-flange 77- which is located in the plane of the upper edge of the tablet-ejection opening 54. The flange 77 is cut away as at 7 8 to form a large clearance opening 7 9 for the action of the tabletdelivery slide 43. A spring-finger 8O struck out from the plate 7 S-engages with the caseback 4 and holds the plate 76 in its'closed position; The partition 62 is formed with a vertical notch 81 for the opening and closing action of the elevator arms '72 and 73.

A removable plate 82 mounted in the casebody 3 in the lower end thereof, provides for retaining the coins when the case-body is removed from the case-back. In order to guard against the reverse rotation of the driven-disk 31, the same is formed upon its edgewith ratchet-teeth 83 whichare engaged by a spring-pawl 84 as shown in Fig. 1, whereby the disk 31 is prevented from being reversely rotated with the driving-disk 27 when the same is automatically turned back by the spring 24.

Having now described the detailed construction of my improved device, I Will proceed to briefly set forth its operation by a penny.

The penny 30 having been inserted into the slot 34, passes downward through-the slot 35 in the guide 36 and falls into the upper portion of the space 33 in which it is arrested by the sleeve 32 encirclin the shaft 16. The knob 2 is now turned rom right to left, wherebythe lug 42 is engaged with the penny 30 and the penny engaged with the uppermost pin 37, as shown in Fig. 8. The turning of the knob in the same direction being continued and the driving-disk 27 being now coupled with the driven-disk 31 through the medium of the penny or coin, the disk 31 is moved through a quarter turn with one of its pins 44 in engagement with the shoulder 45 of the slide 43 which is now moved through its tablet-delivering excursion. At the very beginning of this movement the downwardly turned end of the slot 50 in the slide operates through the pin 43 in the shank 52 of the gate 53 to raise the same so as to open the tablet-ejection opening 54. The delivery-arm 46 of the slide is now brought into contact with the adjacent end of the uppermost tablet 47 which is pushed horizontally from right to left until its left hand end has been projected through the opening 43 for a sufficient distance for the tablet to be readily grasped and withdrawn. During this excursion of the slide 43 from right to left, the gate 53 has been maintained in its elevated open position by the co-action of the pin 51 with the straight upper wall of the main portion of the slot 50 in the slide. As the slide is moved to the left the pin 44 rides slowly downward over the shoulder 45 and finally passes over the corner 57 thereof just as the slide completes its tabletdelivery excursion. As the pin 44 passes over the corner 57 of the shoulder, the spring 58 asserts itself, and by a quick movement retracts the slide from left to right into its normal position. Just before the slide reaches the limit of this return movement, the downwardly turned end of the slot 50 co-acts with the pin 51 to draw the gate 53 downward so asto closthe tablet-ejection in position for being operated by another coin.

The latch 69 is normally maintained in .the depressed position in which it is shown in Fig. 1, by the engagement of the lowermost tablet 47 of the column with the nose 70 of the latch, However, when the last tablet is being delivered, the latch will be allowed to swing into its operative position as shown in Fig. 2 in which it obstructs the retraction of the slide by the spring 58, so that the slide will be arrested and held in the position in which its closure 56 blocks the coinslot 34 and revents anyone from inserting'a coin after all of the tabletst? have been fed out of the device. The operation of the latch as described is a secondary function of the elevator-spring 49.

1. A vending machine comprising a case adapted to receive a vertical column of tablets and having a lateral ejection-opening at its upper end, a spring-controlled follower upon which the lowermost tablet of the column of tablets rests, a tablet-delivery slide located in the upper portion of the case and arranged to successively feed the tablets from the upper end of the said column of tablets, a gate connected with said slide which positively locks it in its open and closed positions with respect to the said ejection-opening, means for operating the slide in feeding and a spring for retracting the slide.

2. A vending machine comprising a case adapted to receive a vertical column of tablets and having a lateral ejection-opening located at its upper end, a spring controlled follower arrangedto support a vertical. column of tabletswithin the case, a tablet-delivery slide located within the upper portion of the case for successively feeding the tablets from the upper end of the said column,- a gate connected with the said slide by which it is positively locked in its open and closed positions with respect to the said ejection-opening, means for moving the slide through its delivery excursion, and a latch mounted in the said follower and co-acting with the slide after the last tablet has-been fed outof the case. l'

3. vending machine comprising a case adapted to receive a vertical column of tablets and having a lateral ejection-opening, a spring-controlled follower arranged within the case to support a vertical column of tablets of which the lower tablet of the column rests upon the said. follower, a tablet-delivery slide for successively feeding the tablets from the upper end of the column, a gate co-acting with the slide and positively locked in its open and closed positions with respect to the said opening, and means for reciprocating the slide.

4:. A vending. device comprising a case adapted to receive a vertical column of tablets and having a lateral ejection-opening.

slide located in the upper part of the case and arranged to successivel feed the tablets from the upper end 0 the column, a gate operated by the slide which positively locks it in its open and closed positions with respect to the said ejection-opening, means for operating the slide in opposite directions, and a latch co-acting with the slide after the feeding of the last tablet from the case.

5. A vending device comprising a case adapted to receive a column of tablets, a spring-actuated follower upon which the column of tablets rests, a tablet-delivery slide for successively feeding the tablets from the upper end of the column, a gate operated by the slide and held in its open and closed positions thereby, and a latch carried by the follower and co-acting with the slide after the feeding of the last tablet from the case.

6. A vending device comprising a casebody having a slotted partition forming one side of a channel for the reception of a column of tablets, a follower located in the said channel, follower arms operating through the slot in the said partition, a slide for successively feeding the tablets from the upper end of the said column, and a gate operated by the slide by which it is locked in its open and closed positions.

7. A. vending device comprising a case adaptedto receive a column of tablets, a follower upon which the column rests, a latch mounted in the follower and normally held in its retired position by the lowermost tablet, a follower-arm connected with the follower through the said latch which it operates, a tablet-delivery slide for successively feeding the tablets, from the upper end of the column and adapted to co-act with the latch after the last tablet has been fed from the case.

8. A vending device comprising a case adapted to receive a column of tablets, a follower upon which the column rests, a pair of elevator arms connected with the fol-' lower, an elevator spring, a latch mounted in the follower and connected with one of the said arms for operation thereby, a tablet-delivery slide for successively feeding the tablets from the upper end of the column, a gate operated by the said slide and locked in its open and closed positions thereby, and the said slide being adapted to coact with the said latch after the feeding of the last tablet from the case.

9. A vending device comprising a case having a tablet-receiving channel, a tabletretaining plate closing one-side of the said channel and formed at its upper end with a guide-flange adapted to extend over the uppermost tablet of the column .of tablets in the channel, an elevator located in the said channel, elevator-arms connected with the said elevator, a tablet-delivery slide located within the upper end otthe case in position to laterally project the tablets one after the other through the said ejection-opening and co-acting with the guide-flange at the upper end of the said plate, a gate operated by the saidslide and opening and closing the said ejection-opening, and means for operating the said slide.

WILLIAM E. GATLING.

Witnesses:

CLARA L. WEED, MALCOLM P. NICHOLS. 

